Prince William visits Australia as preferred future king

Prince William flew into Sydney yesterday for his first visit to Australia since he was a baby, with a poll showing Australians would prefer the young British prince as their next king over his father Prince Charles.

Prince William, who is second in line to the British throne, arrived from New Zealand amid tight security in the second stage of his first official solo tour overseas to represent his grandmother Queen Elizabeth.

The last time the 27-year-old prince visited Australia was in 1983 in the arms of his mother, Princess Diana, who was killed in a car crash in Paris nearly 13 years ago. Prince Charles went on to marry Camilla Parker-Bowles.

Asked if the prince's three-day visit could rekindle an affection for the monarchy, Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said: "There's an affection for the Queen herself, and there's clearly an affection for Prince William."

A poll by Newspoll for British media company ITN and Australia's Seven Network found that 58 per cent of about 1,200 Australians surveyed last weekend said William should be the next monarch after Queen Elizabeth while 30 per cent backed Charles.

Prince William, who is training in the Royal Air Force, was particularly liked by women with 63 per cent wanting to see him succeed the Queen and only 28 per cent preferring Charles.

However, Australians were in no rush for change, with only 29 per cent saying the 83-year-old Queen Elizabeth should stand down to make way for a new monarch.

Australia's republicans, who want to ditch the British monarch as head-of-state for a home-grown President, has the backing of most people in the country, a former British colony that is now an independent federation of states.

But the movement has made little headway since a 1999 vote on a republic failed because Australians could not agree on the type of republic.

Australia's Labour Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and many in his government are avowed republicans but Mr Rudd has dismissed another vote on the issue anytime soon, saying it is not a priority for his government.

After arriving in Sydney, Prince William was whisked off to lunch with Governor-General Quentin Bryce, the Queen's representative in Australia, and was scheduled to meet representatives of the Aboriginal community in inner-city Redfern.

Today he will visit Sydney's Holsworthy Barracks, Sydney Harbour and finally attend a barbecue in the Botanical Gardens then visit Melbourne tomorrow before returning to Britain on Friday.